Disclaimer: - I do not own anything, I don't make any money from it, the only coin I make from this is the enjoyment of writing something that I enjoy reading, Harry Potter and Death in Paradise belong to the writers and creators of those stories. I just like to play in their sandbox.
This story is intended to be multi-chapters but in the same token, each chapter I hope will be a self-contained story. Each though will follow on from the next just like the Death in Paradise Shows on TV do. As usual, if you don't like my little story then don't read it, either move on to something else or better still write something that you do like, who knows I may be lucky enough to read and enjoy it myself.
Shakeup in the Caribbean Chapter One #Detective Inspector (DI) Richard Poole had been seconded from his job in the Metropolitan Police in London better known as The Met to investigate the murder of fellow DI Charlie Hulme. To say he wasn't happy being stuck on the Caribbean Island of Saint Maree would be an understatement, he absolutely loathed the place. It was far too hot for a start and he didn't have any hot weather suites, it had been drummed into him at The Met that he must wear a suit and tie at all times so here he was on a tropical island with nothing but heavy wool suits, he certainly wasn't going to go out and buy new clothing as he was only going to be here for a few weeks. The next thing that bothered him was all the bugs that liked to use him as a snack bar and landing pad, he didn't even get any respite when he was in the shack as it wasn't bug proof, the shack, the official residence of the foreign police officer, it consisted of one room that was bed, lounge and kitchen all rolled up into one space with a bloody great tree about three feet in diameter growing through the middle of it and the bathroom was just a curtained off area in the rear left corner. At any one time, he could see ants and other bugs running up and down the tree trunk although there was a lizard population that at least reduced the bug population a little. No, the accommodation was not what one would expect for the Chief of Police, heaven forbid if he was married with children. He had solved the murder fairly quickly considering that the murderer was none other than his Detective Sergeant, who had been hindering the investigation by planting evidence and killing one of the suspects, making it look like a suicide. Even with all the tampering it only took two weeks to solve the case, most of this delay was caused by waiting for forensics to come in from Guadeloupe, which usually took up to a week on top of the actual time to do the testing, this alone was enough to annoy him.
Well, he had made his report and would be expecting to go back home very soon, hopefully in the next couple of weeks.
Richard had spent the last three months investigating the Royal Saint Marie Police Force and had sent off quite a few suggestions in his report. Of major importance was the fact that while he was involved in the Charlie Hulme and other subsequent murder cases, there were long stretches of time where the Police Station was unmanned. On top of that, there was no way to forward calls to their mobiles, and they didn't have police radios either, sure there was a radio in the jeep but that could only talk to the station, so with the station unmanned it was next to flaming useless.
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One of the things he implemented was to do a denouement at the end of a case, explaining for the benefit of the staff the process of solving the murder. This was a training tool to give them a methodology in solving crimes and to show them that even an insignificant looking piece of evidence could be crucial in solving a crime.
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A week after sending in his report to his contact in Her Majesty's Inspectorates of Constabulary, he received an email informing him that some of the changes he recommended were going to be implemented, and if he could wait just a couple more weeks some options would be made available to him. At about midday, on a Wednesday three weeks later, a very well-dressed man entered the Police Station and looked around and asked to speak to the DI,
Richard introduced himself, "I'm Detective Inspector Richard Poole, and you are?"
The man handed him his business card and whispered, "Don't say anything out loud, please follow me, and we will go somewhere we can have a quiet conversation," The man then led Inspector pool to the doc, "First of all, Richard I would like to thank you on behalf of Her Majesty for your excellent work here in Saint Marie, she especially requested me to tell you that. Because your report was very thorough it gave us a real insight into the state of policing in the island chain. We will now be implementing some major changes. Would you like to know what the outcome of your reports will be?"
"Yes, please Sir, if that is alright with you?"
"No problems Richard. Now let's get somewhere more comfortable, shall we?" Sir Henry and Richard climbed aboard a luxurious looking tender and sped away to a very beautiful and very, very large white yacht, "That's the Golden Snitch, my yacht, it's two hundred and seventy-one feet long with a beam of thirty-eight feet. It originally had the capacity for thirty guests plus staff, now due to extensive modifications, we can accommodate twice that many guests as well as have a fully accredited forensics lab which is run as a charitable foundation. You see Richard I intend to make Saint Marie, my home, permanently so I will do everything in my power to make it a safe place to live. As such the purpose of the lab is to aid The Royal Saint Marie's Police Force in fighting crime. The lab including ballistics, fingerprint identification, as well as a medical suite to handle autopsies and blood analysis. This yacht is not only my home, but it is also Saint Marie's new forensics laboratory so you no longer have to send things off to Guadeloupe and pay them exorbitant fees to do it for you."
Richard was speechless, it was a case of information overload, so rather than say something stupid he decided to keep his mouth shut and just observe, which is what he did best.
Sir Henry took DI Poole into the piano lounge where he continued to explain what was going to happen. "I am going to show you some things that you probably won't believe. So a question if I may? Do you believe in magic?"
"No, I've seen the mumbo jumbo the locals tout as magic, but no I don't believe in magic."
"O…k then…First of all, Richard, I want you to put this on." Sir Henry then handed Richard a gold medallion on a fine gold chain. "It's engraved with runes which will keep you at the temperature that you find most comfortable, it even adjusts itself for when you are physically very active and secondly it envelops you with a protective barrier that will stop most small arms fire as well as knife attacks. This little gem has saved my life on numerous occasions."
Richard looked at the medallion in his hand and back to his host, then back to the medallion again, he shrugged and put the medallion on over his head tucking it in beneath his shirt. Instantly he felt cool, cooler than had been since he arrived on the island. He let out a sigh of contentment, smiled and thanked his host.
"Ok... do you believe now?"
Richard shook his head and frowned, "Umm… I don't know, although if I'm honest with myself, I would have to say I'm leaning towards the affirmative."
"All right in for a penny in for a pound, Dobby."
There was a pop and this little grey/green creature had literally popped into place in front of them he had long floppy ears and tennis ball like eyes and stood about three feet tall. "Yes, O Great and Powerful Master Sir Harry Potter Sir, what can Dobby be doing for you?"
Sir Henry looked over to Richard, "Would you like a cup of tea or would you prefer something stronger?"
"Tea please, Sir Henry."
"Two pots of Da Hong Pao and a selection of finger food if you please Dobby, also could you please request the others to come here for afternoon tea and provide them with their drinks of choice. I also want all the House Elves to come and eat and drink with us. Thanks, Dobby."
Richard looked a little bit shaken but was recovering fast, "I take it that little fellow was a House Elf?" he asked
"Yeah, and for a while, he was the only thing that kept me alive. Now as you can see magic is real, and that, Detective Inspector, is a National Secret." Sir Harry then handed Richard another card. "This card is called a person of knowledge card, if you see magic being performed in public and people in red robes show up, show them this card and they will leave you alone. If you don't then they will wipe your mind of all knowledge of magic."
Richard took the card and added it to his wallet. "They can really wipe your memory?"
"Sure can, when I was in school, one of my professors tried to wipe my memory, fortunately for me, the wand he was using was damaged and the spell backfired wiping his own memory instead. He didn't even know his own name in the end, serves the bastard right if you ask me."
Just then all the others trooped into the lounge, food and drink popped onto the table and about thirty house elves popped in and sat down. Sir Henry introduced everyone and told Richard what their specialties were. He even introduced his children, and explained that his wife Luna had been murdered seven years prior, he went on to explain that because of this he had sold all his homes worldwide and bought the yacht. He had already moved out of the British magical world when he was seventeen and spent a year getting his degrees. (he used the Goblin time chamber as did Hermione and the others.) How at nineteen, he joined the Met fast track program. Now he was Chief Superintendent and soon to be the Commissioner of Police Saint Marie A.
When Richard heard this, he gasped "What, what about Commissioner Patterson? What's happening to him? he really did do his best but was stymied at every turn by the Governor."
"Not to worry my friend, the Governor has been recalled to London in disgrace and Commissioner Patterson will soon be Sir Selwyn Patterson, KBE, Governor-General Saint Marie Archipelago. Although he doesn't know that yet, please don't mention it to anyone. There will be an influx of staff to Saint Marie Police Force, to start with there will be thirty new officers and that number will increase as quickly as possible. The population of the island chain is approximately sixty thousand and if we are to reach world standards there should be between four and five police for every thousand residents, but seeing as it is becoming more popular as a tourist destination then we should increase that number to about six per thousand. I must add that these figures have been approved at the highest levels. Now, Richard, my question to you is. Would you like a position on the team? We could offer you the position of Chief Superintendent or any of the other positions you may want. Do you have any questions?" Sir Henry then sat back to await an answer from the rather overwhelmed DI.
"That's rather a lot to hit me with right off the bat, could you tell me the structure of the force going forward, as you see it please?"
"Not a problem. Of course, at the top, there will be me as the Commissioner. Then answering directly to me will be the Chief Superintendent. Under him will be the Detective Superintendent Homicide Squad., who is responsible for the investigation of all suspicious deaths in the region. The Detective Superintendent Major Crime Unit, this covers smuggling and drug trafficking. Then we have The Superintendent Uniform Branch. Under each of the Detective branches, there will be two teams comprising a Detective Chief Inspector/Detective Inspector, a Detective Sergeant, and a Detective Constable. This will allow an avenue for promotion and to form new investigative teams. We could also allow those who are interested in careers in the Detective Branch, to move across from Uniform, we could then recruit new constables into uniform allowing growth of the force and to replace those who leave for one reason or another. In the Uniform Division, there will be an Inspector for the Patrol Squad. This squad will be a mobile unit with a range of vehicles available, everything from the latest Harley Davidson Road King motorcycles, the Subaru Forester for off-road work, to the latest BMW 335i. They will handle most of the Police presence in the region and investigate Petty Crime. With eight Sergeants under him four for Saint Marie and two for each of the smaller Islands. There will be at least one hundred and thirty other ranks, Constables and Senior Constables. Last and by no means least the Traffic Branch will have a similar break down as the Patrol, including vehicle availability.
There will be the forensic team as well, this will be led by Dr. Hermione Finch-Fletchley, she is a Dr of Medicine and our Forensic Pathologist, she performs the autopsies and does blood and DNA analysis. Then there is her husband Justin, he analyses drug samples and Toxicology. Next are two brothers, Colin and Dennis Creevey they are our Forensic photographers; their wives Mary and Jean look after filing and electronic communications for the Forensic section only. Drs Emma and Daniel Granger (Hermione's parents) are our resident Forensic Odontologists. Neville and Susan Longbottom are our Forensic Botanists, and Lee Jordan is our Forensic Entomologist.
We will also be building a purpose-built multistory complex to house all except the Forensic Laboratory, that will be staying on the yacht because that is where the staff all live."
Sir Henry then leaned back and poured himself another cup of tea while he waited for Richard to absorb all of the information he was bombarded with.
"Just two more questions sir, do you have any objection to a senior officer marrying a junior officer and what will be done about housing?"
"No, we don't, as long as it doesn't interfere with the job, if it does, I will come down heavily on whoever is causing the problem. As for the housing problem, you will no longer be living in that hovel. You will be staying here, for the time being. Now a question for you. If we were to knock the shack down and build a proper house with air-conditioning say four bedrooms with an office, an en-suite bathroom to the master suite, would that suit you or would you prefer something in town?"
"I actually like the location as it's quite beautiful and quiet, so I would prefer you to knock down the old one and build a new one if you don't mind? As long as it doesn't have a tree growing through the middle of it."
"We could build it with a courtyard in the middle with the tree there, sort of like a square donut?"
"That would be fantastic sir, ok I'm in and I would like the Chief Superintendent position please."
"Great welcome aboard Chief Superintendent, when we are in private please call me Harry but in public call me Sir or Sir Henry, I answer to both names but try and use Henry for business and Harry for my friends. Ok? Oh, and this is Private so it's Harry."
"Ah… Thank you, Harry. To be honest with you, I was sold when you gave me this wonderful medallion."
Harry laughed at this. "I didn't doubt that for a minute, it was obvious by the look on your face. Dobby!"
Pop, "Yes great and powerful master Sir Harry Potter Sir, what can poor humble Dobby be doing for you?"
"Bloody scallywag, just has to keep thinking up new things to call me. Could you pop over to the shack on the beach and collect all of Richards effects please?"
Dobby popped away and moved everything into one of the Guest Suites then popped back "Everything is in Suite eight oh powerful lord of all he surveys." He then popped out again.
"Richard is there anything that you don't like to eat or are allergic to?"
"No allergies and about the only thing I can think of is I won't eat anything with eyes still in it, or vacant eye sockets for that matter."
"Ok so we have another Neville Longbottom with us, that's no problem the elves are good at accommodating special tastes. Winky."
Pop, "Yes master Sir Harry Potter Sir. What can Winky be doing for you?"
"Richard here is staying with us for a while, he has similar tastes as master Neville, also can we have dinner at six pm please?"
"Yes Sir, Sir." Pop
.
"Come on I'll show you where your suite is so you can freshen up before dinner if you need anything just call for Donny, he has been assigned to your Suite
A few hours later, Richard had Donny show him the way to the dining room, where everyone was gathering for dinner, during dinner which was a wonderfully cooked roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, with all the trimmings that go with it. Richard also had another pot of the most wonderful tea he had ever tasted, while Harry continued on with what he wanted to see going forward, staffing was discussed. Richard mentioned that both Fidel and Camille had received their Master's Degree in Business Management and have been studying for a Criminology Degree along with a Degree in Policing and Investigation. Richard thought they would be candidates for two of the Superintendent positions, especially with him there to help where needed, after all, he already had those Degrees and had been coaching them since he got there. He also explained that Senior Officer Dwayne Myers had years of experience under his belt he had passed his Sergeants exam and was only held back because of lack of positions available. He would certainly be suitable for at least Inspector if not Superintendent of the Uniform Division. Harry had asked him on his return to sound out both Camille and Fidel to determine what position they would prefer. Make it look like he understood that they would probably move on from where they were, and seek promotion elsewhere. Richard then gave him a communications mirror, showed him how to use it and asked him to let him know what they wanted as soon as possible, because once he knew then they could set everything in motion.
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On the Friday of that week everyone in the Royal Saint Marie Police Force, (all five of them) from the Commissioner on down, were gathered at the Honoré Police Station. Detective Inspector (for now) Richard Poole stepped forward, "I would like to introduce,
Detective Superintendent, Sir Henry James Potter-Black, Earl of Rotherwold and Blackward.
GVCO. KBE. GC and bar GM and Bar, QGM and la légion d'honneur Grand-Croix.
.
Camille, mumbled under her breath. "Pas un autre damné pousseur de crayon anglais, envoyé au seigneur au-dessus de nous, c'est peut-être la dernière goutte."
Harry entered the station and looked at Camille, "I heard that, and no I'm not an old fool of a damned to hell pencil pusher who's come to lord it all over you, I will admit to being English though. Oh, and I'm only a year older than you Camille."
Harry walked up to Commissioner Patterson, and handed him a letter, "You need to read this straight away Commissioner." Which the Commissioner did, "My private jet is waiting for you at the airport, if you leave now you will be in London in time for your Investiture. Your wife and son have been informed and will meet you at the airport. The jet will make a stop in Paris to pick up your daughter Daphne, your other son will meet you at the palace, Congratulations Sir Selwyn."
"Thank you, Sir Henry, I think I should be going now, I'll see everyone on my return." With that, the soon to be newly minted Knight and Governor General left to meet his family at Harry's Gulfstream G550 for his trip to London.
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Harry turned to Camille with an evil looking smirk on his face, she could almost imagine a 'Mwahaha' coming from him as he rubbed his hands together with delight. "Well let's see now, what will I do with you. For a start you are no longer going to be a DS," he paused here and let her think that she had either been sacked or demoted. If either of those things happened, then she was out of there. "No that won't do at all, from now on you will be…Detective Superintendent in charge of the Major Crime Squad. Congratulations Detective Superintendent. Fidel, you are now Detective Superintendent in charge of the Homicide Squad and Dwayne you are the Superintendent in charge of the Uniform Branch. You will all now answer to Detective Chief Superintendent Richard Poole. As Commissioner Patterson has left the building, I can inform you that he has been Knighted and is the new Governor General of the Saint Marie Archipelago, and I am your new Commissioner of Police." Harry then asked them to shut up shop and follow him to the dock and onto his yacht, where Camille's and Fidel's families were waiting for them.
End Chapter